Review and Spoilers for I’m Not Done With You Yet

I am a fan of Jesse Q. Sutanto’s comic cozy mysteries, namely Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice and Dial A for Aunties, so I decided to try her latest, an adult psychological suspense novel. What did I think? Check out my Review of I’m Not Done With You Yet by Jesse Q. Sutanto. With SPOILERS for the ending of I’m Not Done With You Yet and the ending explained.

Review of I’m Not Done With You Yet

What’s in this post:

• Synopsis and book details for I’m Not Done With You Yet
• What I Liked (and Didn’t) About I’m Not Done With You Yet
• Will YOU Like I’m Not Done With You Yet?
• Protected Spoilers for the ending of I’m Not Done With You Yet
• Reader Questions about I’m Not Done With You Yet ANSWERED!

I’m Not Done With You Yet by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Published on: August 17, 2023. This was a library book that I read in November 2023

Goodreads score: 3.68

Synopsis of I’m Not Done With You Yet

Jane is a struggling mid-list writer trapped in a stale marriage. Thinking back to her time at a creative writing program at Oxford with her ex-best friend Thalia, Jane feels unsuccessful and stuck.

Then Jane sees it: Thalia’s name, right at the top of the New York Times bestseller list. When Jane discovers Thalia is attending a book convention in New York City, Jane knows what she has to do. She’s going to crash the convention and talk to Thalia.

This time, she will do things right. Jane won’t lose Thalia again.

Things I Liked Less About I’m Not Done With You Yet

I believe in starting with the positives, but in the case of this book, I think it’s better to do it backwards.

First, I thought that the first 200 pages of I’m Not Done With You Yet had some pacing issues felt a bit slow, with sad sack Jane being angry about her friend’s success.

Second, I think the book’s psychological underpinning was a bit weird. I explain below.

Finally, I’d already read Yellowface, a popular (and similar book) about a BFF writer friendship gone VERY wrong, which came out a couple months before.

Both books had a toxic female friendship, some real talk about the publishing industry, and plenty of twists and turns.

But Yellowface had page-turning pacing and an incisive critique of the publishing industry. It was hard not to compare them. Sometimes that happens!

Similarly themed books have come out recently, like this one about a writer who steals another writer’s plot, and this one about a writer accused of stealing a plot. Also, I think Thalia and Jane should go to this ill-fated fictional writing retreat attended by another pair of toxic friends.

I also just read yet ANOTHER book with this theme that I really enjoyed. A lot of writer schadenfreude going on!

What I DID Like (a lot!) About I’m Not Done With You Yet

The last 150 pages were fantastic, with twist after twist. It really kept me guessing! If you want all the details, feel free to check out the spoilers below.

Will You Like I’m Not Done With You Yet?

If you’re a fan of prior comic cozies by Jesse Q. Sutanto, be prepared for the fact that I’m Not Done With You Yet has a very different pace and tone.

I think that Sutanto’s comic cozies, like Dial A for Aunties, are her sweet spot as a writer. Even the end of I’m Not Done With You Yet has a bit of her signature madcap tone, with a bunch of squabbling family members and some dark humor. The final chapter is hilarious, complete with John Green references and Christina Lauren references.

But if you can’t get enough of Toxic Female Friendship Stories like In My Dream I Hold a Knife, then you should definitely try this one!

And if you LOVE Mysteries and Thrillers featuring writers who commit crimes, check out my book list!

Spoilers for I’m Not Done With You Yet

Parts one and two of the book are from Jane’s POV. During their time at Oxford, Thalia is juggling two guys: Antoine, and Ivan, their rich classmate Ani’s brother. 

One night, Thalia comes to Jane and says she killed Antoine after he attacked her. She manipulates Jane into corroborating her story that Antoine attacked both of them and that they killed him in self-defense.

In the present, which is nine years later, Thalia is now a best-selling author married to Ivan. She and Jane meet in New York and Thalia invites Jane to the Hamptons for a writers’ retreat.

Another writer, Kurt, who seemed to have a crush on Thalia, mysteriously ends up dead. Jane is suspicious. Jane  “wonders if she doesn’t know Thalia that well after all.” (omg Jane. Really?!)

Part three gives us Thalia’s POV. She has REASONS for what she did. She has antisocial personality disorder, okay?? And now she wants to be antisocial again and kill someone. So she lures her old accomplice Jane with a (fake) email about her (real) NYT bestselling book about their (weird) relationship at Oxford.

Thalia is having an affair with Kurt, so he has to go. She pushes him off a cliff.

Jane is suspicious, given the whole Antoine situation, but she doesn’t say anything when questioned by the police.

Then Thalia’s husband Ivan turns up dead too. (What? The body count in this is very high. Thalia killed Antoine to be with Ivan, she kills Kurt because she was with him and needs to keep her affair quiet from Ivan, and now she’s killing Ivan?) Ivan had a weak heart, and Thalia killed him with excessive caffeine. (Yikes. *puts mug down*)

Ivan’s sister Ani is suspicious of Thalia and vows to get to the truth about her brother’s death. The police seem to know that Thalia and Jane killed Antoine.

Jane has repeatedly said that she’s a sociopath after taking some online quizzes (what?). After her husband forces her into couples therapy, Jane is, in a five minute conversation, diagnosed with NOT being a sociopath.

Jane has anxiety (about being a sociopath? or about the fact that she’s an accomplice to murder?) The psychology in this one is a little loose imo and I feel like not labeling these women would have been better.

Jane also finds evidence that helps Ani prove that Thalia ordered the caffeine that killed Ivan. Jane also learns that all of Thalia’s mother’s boyfriends ended up dead. (Interesting! So Thalia is really a psychopath.)

Thalia wants to do a double-cross and blame Ani for her brother’s death. She thinks that mousy Jane is going to back her up. Because Jane says she loves her and wants them to be together. (Yikes, Jane. You need more therapy!)

In the final chapter, Ani (Ivan’s sister) is in prisoner for his murder and learns that Jane has published a best-seller based on Thalia. What????

Reader Questions About I’m Not Done With You Yet Answered!

Kayla (on Instagram) asked: Did Thalia have two pen names, and why?

Yes, she says she used one (Ali Pemberton, named after their Oxford college) when she was writing YA.

Then Thalia’s new book was written under May Pierce (to hide from Jane, she says) but then she changes her mind decides she needs to draw Jane in so she can again use Jane in her scheme.

She needs someone to pin Ivan’s death on, so she makes sure Jane knows that she is May Pierce so that she can blame Jane. Thalia is sure that Jane’s jealousy will draw her back, so she needs Jane to know that she is May Pierce.

Please give me your thoughts. I read and respond to all comments! Comments with spoilers are welcome so proceed with caution if you have NOT read the book and want to.